Scroll control for a table display

Abstract

After any cell area to be an always displayed area of an edition area composed of rows and columns of cells is designated, and a scroll display operation is performed, a CPU performs a normal scroll display until the always displayed area reaches an edge of the edition area, at which time the CPU scrolls and displays only an area excluding the always displayed area to thereby refer to cells efficiently even when a table whose size cannot be displayed on a single display screen is edited.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A display control device for displaying table data which includes a plurality of cells arranged in rows and columns on a predetermined display area, said display control device comprising: (a) setting means for setting a cell area by desired row and column ranges in the table data;   (b) scroll instructing means for instructing said device to scroll-display the table data in any desired one of up, down, right and left directions;   (c) first scroll-displaying means, responsive to said scroll instructing means instructing said device to scroll-display the table data in one of the up, down, right and left directions in a state where the cell area set in the row and column ranges set by said setting means is not displayed at any one of upper, lower, right and left edges of the display area, for scroll-displaying a whole range of the table data containing the cell area in the desired direction;   (d) second scroll-displaying setting means, responsive to said scroll instructing means instructing said device to scroll-display the table data downwards in a state where the cell area is displayed at the upper edge of the display area, for scroll-displaying downwards a row range below the row range set by said setting means, with the row range of the cell area set by said setting means being fixingly displayed at the upper edge of the display area;   (e) third scroll displaying means, responsive to said scroll instructing means instructing said device to scroll-display the table data horizontally in the state where the cell area is displayed at the upper edge of the display area, for scroll-displaying horizontally all of the table data including the row range of the cell area displayed at the upper edge of the display area; and   (f) fourth scroll-displaying means, responsive to said scroll instructing means instructing said device to scroll-display the table data downwards or rightwards in a state where the cell area is displayed at an upper left edge of the display area, for scroll-displaying downwards or rightwards the row range below the row range set by said setting means or a column range on a right side of the column range set by said setting means, with the row or column range of the cell area set by said setting means being fixingly displayed at the upper left edge of said display area.   
     
     
       2. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising: (g) fifth scroll-displaying means, responsive to said scroll instructing means instructing said device to scroll-display the table data rightwards in a state where the cell area is displayed at the left edge of the display area, for scroll-displaying rightwards the column range on the right side of the column range set by said setting means, with the column range of the cell area set by said setting means being fixingly displayed at the left edge of the display area; and   (h) sixth scroll-displaying means, responsive to said scroll instructing means instructing said device to scroll the table data vertically in the state where the cell area is displayed at the left edge of the display area, for vertically scroll-displaying all of the table data including the column range of the cell area displayed at the left edge of the display area.   
     
     
       3. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising: (i) seventh scroll-displaying means, responsive to said scroll instructing means instructing said device to scroll the table data upwards in a state where the cell area is displayed at the lower edge of the display area, for scroll-displaying upwards a row range above the row range set by said setting means, with the row range of the cell area set by said setting means being fixingly displayed at the lower edge of the display area;   (j) eighth scroll-displaying means, responsive to said scroll instructing means instructing said device to scroll the table data leftwards in a state where the cell area is displayed at the right edge of the display area, for scroll-displaying leftwards a column range on a left side of the column range set by said setting means, with the column range of the cell area set by said setting means being fixingly displayed at the right edge of the display area; and   (k) ninth scroll-displaying means, responsive to said scroll instructing means instructing said device to scroll the table data upwards or leftwards in a state where the cell area is displayed at a lower right edge of the display area, for scroll displaying upwards or leftwards the row range above the row range set by said setting means or the column range on the left side of the column range set by said setting means, with the row or column range of the cell area set by said setting means being fixingly displayed at a lower right edge of the display area.